Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State head men’s basketball coach Chris Jans announced Thursday the promotion of James Miller to associate head coach.

"James is a young, rising star in our profession and has been a wonderful addition to our coaching staff,” said Jans. “His well-rounded skill set and wide range of experience has proven to be invaluable to our program."

Miller’s impact on the team was immediate after his arrival to the City of Crosses with the Aggies posting a program record in wins with a 30-5 overall mark. NM State also had a 19-game win-streak during the season that spanned over three months and finally snapped in the first round of the NCAA Tournament where the Aggies nearly upset No. 5 Auburn in the waning moments of the game.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

SECAUCUS, N.J. - New Mexico State baseball All-American shortstop Joey Ortiz became the highest Aggie to ever be drafted after being selected in the fourth round (108th overall) by the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday afternoon in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.

“I am so thankful for this opportunity and the chance that the Orioles organization took on me,” Ortiz said from his home with family. “I truly trust in God’s plan for me and I truly have been blessed. The real work begins now!”

With his selection, Ortiz became the 80th overall Aggie to be drafted and the seventh player from NM State to be drafted by the Orioles. Former lefty Tyler Erwin was selected by the Orioles organization in 2016.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

MESA, AZ - The New Mexico State baseball team took on Sacramento State in a Western Athletic Conference elimination game on Saturday at Hohokam Stadium. After giving up a one-run lead in the sixth, the Aggies carried a tie ballgame into extra innings and fell to the Hornets in the 10th, 6-4.

To open the contest, each side was working early tossing a pair of scoreless innings before NM State (38-17) got on the board in the bottom of the third putting Sacramento State behind (37-23). Back-to-back singles up the middle opened the home half, including one for Joey Ortiz to tie the program single-season hit record with 105. The pair of base knocks left runner son the corners for Nick Gonzales who sent a sacrifice fly deep to left to plate the first run of the ballgame.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

MESA, AZ - The New Mexico State baseball team took on rival Grand Canyon in the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday night at Hohokam Stadium. After taking a lead in the seventh, the Aggies gave up six runs over the final two innings and lost to the Lopes 8-3.

Much like the night prior, the tournament clash for NM State (38-16) opened with some great early pitching. The teams combined to retire the first nine batters of the night before Grand Canyon (36-22) struck first in the bottom of the second.

A leadoff grounder was misplayed for the Lopes to get the first baserunner of the game on. Two batters later, GCU saw a two-run home run sent over the fence in right field that put the Aggies in a 2-0 hole into the third.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

MESA, AZ - The number-one seed New Mexico State baseball team played its first game of the Western Athletic Conference Tournament against Utah Valley on Thursday night at Hohokam Stadium. Behind another great outing from the Aggie starter and a late surge by the offense, NM State defeated UVU, 7-1, to advance to the semifinals.

A pitcher’s duel opened the contest and remained for the majority of the game with Utah Valley (15-40) and NM State (38-15) being held scoreless through six and a half innings. Aggie ace Brock Whittlesey tossed a pair of one-two-three frames and saw the Wolverines strand five runners, including three in scoring position through the first seven innings.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

DENVER, CO - The Western Athletic Conference announced its All-WAC baseball honors, as selected by the league’s head coaches, on Tuesday. Along with leading the conference with six First-Team All-WAC selections, the New Mexico State baseball team also saw shortstop Joey Ortiz named WAC Player of the Year.

Ortiz earned player of the year accolades and a first-team selection after hitting .426 in league play and leading the WAC with 55 hits, 16 doubles, four triples and 94 total bases. In addition, the junior’s season-long total of hits (102), runs (82) and triples (10) lead the nation while his batting average (.430) and runs batted in (82) ranked third across the NCAA. As he has shown all career, the Garden Grove, Calif. native shines in the field and this year was no different as he posted a .975 fielding percentage with 175 assists, 58 putouts and 31 double plays turned.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State baseball team closed out its regular season at home taking on California Baptist in the series finale on Saturday at Presley Askew Field. After carrying a lead into the eighth inning, the Aggies allowed eight runs over the final two frames and fell to the Lancers, 9-4.

After each side was held scoreless in the first inning, both squads were able to get on the board in the fourth. California Baptist (35-20, 19-8 WAC) recorded the first tally in the top half to put NM State (37-15, 19-8 WAC) behind. The Lancers leadoff batter in the frame and starting pitcher on the day sent a solo home run over the wall in left to put the Aggies behind 1-0.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State baseball team played host to Western Athletic Conference foe California Baptist in game two of the series on Friday. After putting up 12 runs over two of the first three innings, the Aggies lead was too far out of reach and the team evened up the series taking down the Lancers 18-6 in seven innings.

Each side got on the board in the first inning with California Baptist (34-20, 18-8 WAC) striking first in the top half. The leadoff batter was hit by a pitch to get one runner on and two batters later, the Lancers designated hitter sent a two-run home run to center that put the Aggies behind 2-0.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - New Mexico State women’s basketball head coach Brooke Atkinson announced the signing of graduate transfer Micayla Buckner on Friday.

“Micayla is a dynamic post who can score both inside and out,” Atkinson said. “Her ability to block shots in the paint means that she’ll be the anchor of our defense. Her experience and maturity will allow her to be an immediate impact.”

Buckner comes to the Land of Enchantment after stints at Baylor, Collin College and North Texas. As a senior at Naaman Forest High School, Buckner averaged 11 points and 12 rebounds per game and was a McDonald’s All-America nominee. Also in high school, the Garland, Texas, native earned First Team All-District honors three times and was named the District 11-5A Defensive Player of the Year following the 2011-12 season.  Continue Reading This Post >>

Written By: NM State Athletic Dept.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. - The New Mexico State baseball team opened up its final regular season series of 2019 against Western Athletic Conference opponent California Baptist on Thursday night at Presley Askew Field. After allowing multiple runs in the first and fifth innings, the Aggies could not rally late and fell to the Lancers 5-3.

Scoring for California Baptist (34-19, 18-7 WAC) opened in the top of the first to put NM State (36-14, 18-7 WAC) behind early. The Lancers got a pair of runners on before a walk loaded the bases with one out. In the next at-bat, a single up the middle plated the first two runs of the game for the opposition. Two batters later, a single to right field brought home a man from second and the Aggies fell behind 3-0 at the end of the first frame.  Continue Reading This Post >>